Coffin-fastener



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD HOLMES AND BRITAIN HOLMES, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

COFFlN-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,570, dated April 2, 1889.

' Application filed July 25, 1887. $erial No. 245,179. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, EDWARD HOLMES and BRITAIN HOLMES, both citizens of the United States, residingin Buitalo, in the county of Erie and State of NeW'York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looking Devices for Burial-Caskets, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in concealed locking devices for readily securing the lid to or disengaging it from aburial-casket, and will be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view of the under side of the lid of a burial-casket, showing the upper portions of the locking devices. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of a burial-casket, showing a similar view of the lower portions of the locking devices. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through the lid of a casket and a portion of the sides of the body, showing a side eleva-v tion of the locking-spring. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a portion of a casket lid and body, showing a side elevation of one of the locking devices complete. Fig. 5 is a top view of a portion of the side of a burialcasket, showing a similar view of the lower portion of the locking dvice. Fig. 6 is an under side view of one of the upper portions of the locking device, showing a horizontal section through line a b, Fig. 8. Fig. 7 is a detached side elevation of the upper portion of the locking device; and Fig. 8 is a front elevation of thesame, showing the form of the opening through it.

The casket lid 1 and the body 2 are made in any well-known way and of any suitable material. The lower portion of the locking device consists of the casket-body plate 3, having a slot or opening, 4, and the'horizontallyprojecting catch 5. This catch 5 is horizontal and straight on the top, or substantially so, and is made to taper equally from below and from each side to the point 6. At each end of the plate 3 may be an opening, 8.

The plate is secured to the casket in a recess or slot, 9, adapted to receive it, by means of the screws 10. Through the plate 3 are holes 11,which serve to lighten it and also to hold it when clamped tightly in place by the screws 10, as the wood in that case projects slightly into them, and thereby prevents the plate from moving or sliding out of place. The slots 9 are cutinto the sides of the casket by means of a saw, or in any suitable way. The central portion, 12, of the slot or recess 9 is made wider than the'rest, so as to leave room for the upper catch to enter. The upper catch consists of the circular or other suitably-shaped disk, 13, having screw-holes 14, by which it is secured by screws 15 to the lid of the casket. It is provided with a downwardlyprojecting loop portion, 16,- having the opening 17 flare outward from the points 18 both ways, so that it gradually enlarges from the center or points 18 outward toward the edges, as shown. (See Fig. 6.) This construction and the tapering pointof the catches 5 allow ample room for the warping or spring of the sides of the casket, the lid being so constructed that it does not warp or spring, and consequently when putting it onto the casket the openings 17 will readily find their way over the points 6, and if its sides should be warped or sprung out of place the putting of the lid on will bring them into proper line with the sides of the same.

In putting the lid on all that is necessary is to place it lengthwise of the casket, so that the loop portions 16 will be beyond the points 6 of the catches, and then by moving it forward in the direction of the arrow 0 (see Fig. 4) the parts 16 will pass down into the opening 4 and then over the points 6 of the catches 5 and int-o the position shown in Fig. 4, thereby drawing the lid firmly and securely in place and the sides of the casket into proper alignment with the lid should they be warped out of place.

To prevent the lid of the casket from being accidentally or too easily moved back horizontally in the direction of the arrow f, and thereby disengaged from its locking devices, we use a spring, 19. (See Figs. 3 4.) This spring 19 is bent as shown in Fig. 3, or substantially so, and secured to the inside of the casket-lid by a screw, 20. At the outer end of the spring is a downwardly-projecting catch, 21, and 22 is the thumb-piece by which the spring is operated. In the under side of the lid is a recess or depression, 23, to allow room enough to permit the spring and catch 21 to be moved up when required.

From this construction it will be seen that when the lid is being put on and the loops 16 catch over the points 6 of the horizontal catches 5, and as it is being moved horizontally in the direction of the arrow 0 (shown in Fig. 4) the downwardly-projecting catch 21 will rest on the top edge of the plate 3, and that if the movement be continued in the same direction until the several parts are in their proper position for locking the lid securely the catch 21 will spring over the end of the plate 3 and prevent the lid from being moved horizontally back again in the direction of the arrow f, (shown in Fig. 4,) thereby looking it securely, so that it cannot be removed until the catch 21 is moved up bymeans of the thumbpiece 22. It will be noticed that the movement of the lid, while being thus secured in place, is at first a downward movement into the opening 4 far enough to allow the loop to catch over the horizontal pointed catch, and then a horizontal movement until tightened by the slightly-inclined form of the under side of the catch.

One important advantage of this construction is that the plates 3 may be put into the openings 9, and then the lid having the loops 16 secured to it put 011, so that all the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4. screws 10 may now be put in place from the outside of the casket and the plates 3 rigidly secured in their proper position by the sides of the openings 9 being tightly drawn against it by the screws 10.

The several parts are all in their exact position and the lid may be easily taken off or put on in the way above described without any further adjustment.

The openings 8 in the ends of the pla e 0 are not absolutely necessary to its operation, as the ends of the plate may be made plain, as shown by the dotted lines 1' j, Fig. 4; or, if desired, the screws may be put in so as to pass The through the holes 11, the object beingto provide the means whereby the plates 3 may be put into the openings 9 and then brought to their exact position by placing the cover on and moving it so that the loops 16 pass over the catches 5, which operation brings said plates exactly to their place, after which, and while in that position, they are firmly secured by the screws 10, or by bolts or any wellknown means by which they may be securely held in place by screws, or by otherwise drawing the sides of the wood against them, as

above mentioned, or the openings 9 may be made small enough so that the plates 3 may be driven into place, and thus be held by friction alone with sufiicient force for all practical purposes; but we prefer to use screws or some means for drawing the sides of the opening rigidly against the sides of the plate. Still the device will be operative either with or without the screws.

e are aware that inclined catches, in combination with grooved or socketed plates sunk into the sides of the casket, have been used before. We therefore do not claim such, broadly; but what we do claim is A locking-plate, 3, clamped between the sides of an opening in the side of the casket, and having a pointed catch, 6, projecting horizontally in a line with the top of the plate, or substantially so, and a curved opening leading to and under the pointed catch, in combination with aloop-locking portion, 16, secured to the casket-lid, a spring, 19, having its fixed end secured to the inside of acasket-lid having a depression, 23, and the free end of the spring provided with a thumb-piece, and a downwardly-proj ectin g catch, 21, for catching over the end of the plate 3 and locking the casket.

EDWARD HOLMES. BRITAIN HOLMES.

Witnesses:

JAMES SANGSTER, ARTHUR SANGSTER. 

